Talking about likes and dislikes is a great way to practice the simple present tense. This week’s Spotlight lesson, Frida – Simple Present Reading, introduces your young learners to a girl who likes school, swimming, and basketball.
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story
Souljah31: Past Progressive Reading
I’m in Singapore! Simple Future Reading
This week we’re featuring a simple future reading lesson called I’m in Singapore! This lesson includes three emails between a girl and her parents that use the simple present, simple past, and simple future tenses in context. Your students will hear “will” and “be going to” used naturally as the characters discuss the girl’s travel plans. (more…)
Writing: Using the Past Progressive to Create Atmosphere in a Story
“Don’t tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass.”
—Anton Chekhov
Writing is a skill that English learners usually find challenging. Writing in a second language is even tougher. Not only do students need to understand and apply grammar, spelling, and punctuation rules, but they also need to know how to compose a paragraph, story, or essay! Guiding learners step by step through the writing process can help—check out How to Write a Paragraph and our Writing section in the Project Depot for tips and writing activities.
Another way to help students write is to teach them ways to start a story. The past progressive (past continuous) verb tense is a great way to create atmosphere and set the mood of a story. For a good example, our Spotlight lesson this week, UFO Report, uses the past progressive to set the scene of the story. In that lesson, students will also practice using the past progressive by writing the first few lines of various stories. (more…)
Story and an Idiom: A World Cup Listening Activity
Are your young learners excited about the World Cup? Sprout English has a NEW Word Bank lesson plan on Football (a.k.a. Soccer) that is designed for young learners. After you’ve tried the lesson, why not share this related story with your students? This story teaches the idiom “on the ball”.
The Dog That Was On The Ball
Once upon a time, there was a dog named Pickles. The dog was out for a walk with its owner when it spotted an object in a garden. The object was wrapped in some newspaper. The dog’s owner picked up the object. It was a trophy. This was not just any trophy. It was the missing World Cup Trophy! Earlier that week, a thief had stolen the trophy from a museum in London. (more…)
TV Boy – Simple Present Reading
This week’s featured lesson is TV Boy from the Present Simple Stories section in the Library. This four-page lesson includes a short reading that uses simple present verbs. There are comprehension questions to ensure that students understand the reading and a word scramble to practice new vocabulary. Because the reading focuses on likes and dislikes, there is a grammar review section that gives many examples of the “like” + infinitive verb construction. Students can practice this structure with the included speaking and writing exercises. (more…)
